title: Antibody to Pneumocystis carinii protects rats and mice from developing pneumonia.
abstract: Well-proven mouse and rat models were used to show that polyclonal antisera to Pneumocystis carinii protect against P. carinii pneumonia. Antibodies were obtained from animals that were allowed to recover from severe P. carinii pneumonia after immunosuppression had been stopped and which then were given a booster injection of P. carinii from the same animal species. Mice immunosuppressed with corticosteroids or antibodies to L3T4+ lymphocytes (which are comparable to CD4 cells of humans) and transtracheally inoculated with mouse P. carinii did not develop P. carinii pneumonia if they were passively immunized with antiserum, while mice immunosuppressed and inoculated by identical procedures but not given antibodies developed severe infections. Rats immunosuppressed with corticosteroids and inoculated with rat P. carinii had less severe infections if they were given rat anti-P. carinii antisera. The polyclonal antisera developed in mice provided greater protection for the mice than the polyclonal rat antisera did for the rats; however, the potencies and compositions of the antisera were not quantitated and probably differed. Since both rats and mice can be protected from P. carinii infections with polyclonal antisera, it may be possible to develop vaccines that will elicit protective antibodies in humans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis 46202-5120, USA. mbartlet@iupui.edu
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Bartlett
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Angus
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Durant
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pascale
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000187:drug effects; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D011010:Pneumocystis / Q000276:immunology*; D011020:Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D003907:Dexamethasone